Priestly Murders

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984. CG3 - An uncorrected page proof paperback book SIGNED by Bill Granger and inscribed to Otto (Otto Penzler) on the first page in very good condition that has some bumped corners, some scattered light smudges on the cover, light tanning and shelf wear. Joe Gash is the pseudonym of Bill Granger. A Chicago Police Mystery. A RINEHART SUSPENSE NOVEL. Although not marked in any way, this copy comes from the personal collection of Otto Penzler, legendary editor and founder of the Mysterious Press, an award-winning icon in the genre. 8.25"x5.25", 163 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. No one would be likely to mistake blunt, beefy Sergeant Terry Flynn for anything but an Irish cop. Diplomacy wasn't his strongest suit. Nor, any longer, was strict devotion to the church. But he had his beliefs. And one thing he knew as certainly as the pope's religion: When a priest is shot in Chicago - in church, during Mass, by a man in uniform - the heat comes down hard on Special Squad. From the commissioner. From the press. From the mayor. And from the archbishop. The brass wants someone - almost anyone, it seems - behind bars fast. With all their fire-breathing, it's easy to see how a minor matter like mistaken identity might get obscured in the smoke. Priestly Murders is the second novel in the Chicago Police Mystery series, an exciting follow-up to the acclaimed Public Murders. Under the guidance of Sergeants Terry Flynn and Karen Kovac of the Homicide Division's Special Squad, and Jack Donovan of the state's attorney's office, Priestly Murders takes readers on a gritty, humorous, and revealing journey through Chicago's religious and criminal justice institutions. A masterful suspense novel, it infuses graphic, pell-mell storytelling with an insider's understanding of the way the police really work. The 1980 publication of Public Murders marked the auspicious debut of the Chicago Police Mystery series. It was honored with an Edgar Award, compared favorably with Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowell's Martin Beck series, and hailed with such praise as this from Mike Royko: "A first-rate thriller . . . [This] chilling story takes us into the very real world of hard-nosed detective work, and the fascinating, frightening world of a criminally demented mind. The book moves as fast as Chicago, which is fast, indeed.". Signed by Author. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Advance Reading Copy (ARC).